Laweence



y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALVIN LAWRENCE, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, AMBROSE LAWRENCE, AND JOHN E. CRANE, OF SAME PLACE.v

PIE OR PLATE TONGS.v

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 53,227, dated March 13, 1866.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALVIN LAWRENCE, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved lm plement, which I have denominated Pie or Plate Tongs,7 of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specitcation, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section of my invention as applied to the rim of a common plate. g Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same.

My improved pie or plate tongs are generally composed of two pieces of wire, one of which pieces forms the leg A, with a drop, b, and toe c at one end thereof, and the other end of the saine piece forms one portion, d., of the handle, the center drop, e, and center toe, f.

The other piece of wire forms the leg' B, drop g, and toe h at one end thereof, like that of the leg A. The middle portion of the said wire forms the coil or outer portion, k, of the hinge and the portion Z ot' the other handle and the end of said wire forms the spring m, the extreme end, n, of which is bent round, attened, and a nick formed therein, which straddles the portion d of the opposite handle, and serves to open the implement ready for use.

The coil or hinge k, being oval in form, serves the purpose of hinge and stop and prevents the handles from being thrown too far apart by the spring m for the easy grasp ot' the hand of the operator.

The object of my invention may be easily seen. Vhen it is desired to remove a heated plate or other similar articles, or a plate having a pie upon it, from a heated oven, or from one place to another, without any liability to drop and injure the plate, spill the contents, or burn the hand of the operator, my improved pie or plate tongs are placed upon the plate, the legs Aand B passing over the top,and the toes l1, and c, beneath the rim or flange of said plate, moving the tongs forward till the drop e comes against the edge of the plate at 14, the toe f passing under the rim or flange. The handles are then brought together, causing the drops g and It to press against the rim of the plate at p and 1 forcing or binding the same against the drop e at 14, thus firmly holding the plate so that it may be removed and carried at pleasure.

My improved tongs may be used bypassing the legs A and B beneath the rim of the plate, the drops g, b, and e grasping the rim, as shown in the drawings, in which case the toes h, c, andf do not engage with the rim of the plate, but I deem it best to form said toes upon the drops g, b, and e, so that the implement may be used either side up.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let-ters Patent, is

l. The combination of the legs A and B, the same having drops g and Z and toes e and It, the coil or hinge It, handles d and Z, spring m., drop e, and toe f, the whole arranged substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with the legs A and B and the coil la, the drops y, b, and e, or their equivalent, substantially as and for the purpose specilied.

3. In combination with the legs A and B and coil k, and in connection with the drops g, b, and e, the toes c, It, and f, substantially as and for the purpose explained.

4. In combination with the handles d and l, the legs A and B and coil 7c, the spring m, when the said spring forms a part of one handle and acts against the other, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

5. The coil k, incombination with the legsA and B and handles d and l, when the said coil is made to serve as a hinge and stop, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ALVIN LAWRENCE.

In presence of J. S. WHITNEY, GEO. E. CRANE. 

